


I've had a bad week, I could use a friend

by stepsofthepalace



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, Switches POV back and forth, implied feelings on both sides, nothing explicit though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 15:08:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14108046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stepsofthepalace/pseuds/stepsofthepalace
Summary: Another look at the locker scene.Title is from St. Patrick by Nathan Leigh





	I've had a bad week, I could use a friend

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic actually stemmed from a much longer piece I started working on over a year ago, from before we actually had the locker scene. It was still based around the locker, but was from back when we still thought it was Trini's locker (bc of the trailer). I ended up hitting massive writer's block about halfway through writing it, and when the deleted scenes came out I decided to change the fic to fit the new canon. But I ended up hating half of what I was writing, and I felt like I was forcing a lot of it.  
> Anyways, after months and months of not posting anything I decided to finally rework the piece into something shorter and less complicated that I'm a lot happier with.
> 
> I hope you guys like it!  
> (Also, happy belated one-year anniversary of the movie coming out!)

Being the new kid had always meant one of two things for Trini. Either she had a target painted on her back or no one knew she existed. Trini preferred the latter. She learned the benefits of slipping into the shadows in middle school and quickly mastered the art of weaving undetected through the mass of other students - her small stature serving as an advantage. Sure she didn’t make many friends that way, but her family moved so frequently  that it probably wouldn't be worth it anyway.

When the Gomez’s moved to Angel Grove in her Junior year, Trini’s parents had promised they’d stay at least until she graduated. So far they’d held true to that, but Trini never let herself get too comfortable, just in case. She stuck with her usual tactics for the whole year they’d been here and it worked well for her - so well in fact that pretty much no one at the school even knew she existed last year.

This year, or these last two weeks anyways, had been a completely different story. What shocked Trini the most- more than getting superpowers, more than gravity-defying water or a secret underground spaceship - was people actually talking to her at school. Jason waving at her in the hall, Billy excitedly showing her the new project he’d been working on, Zack swinging by to chat at her locker, sitting with the four of them at lunch - this was all new territory for her. They weren’t exactly friends, or at least she didn’t think so. It was more like a strange alliance of sorts that had started seeping into their personal lives.

Kimberly had been the biggest surprise to her. Trini hadn’t realized that Kim chasing her up a mountain the day after they met was going to be indicative of their relationship going forward. Kimberly seemed to constantly be seeking her out - catching her eye in Bio, walking with her to class, inviting her out to Krispy Kreme. That last one had surprised Trini so much that she’d just stood in stunned silence for a few moments before uttering a hesitant “okay.” She knew on some level that Kim was probably just using the outing as a distraction from being unceremoniously dropped by her old group of friends, but it still gave Trini a warm butterflies-in-her-stomach kind of feeling.

And the attention wasn’t one-sided by any means. Trini found herself becoming protective and defensive of Kim, willing to jump to her aid at a moment’s notice. She’d essentially made it her mission to make Kim smile as much as possible, especially given the distressing fact that this could actually end up being their last week on Earth.

That’s how she found herself now. After the final bell, Trini had seen Kimberly a bit further down the hall, so she started to make her way over to her. They had training right after school that day so she thought they could head there together. But then she noticed, Kim seemed a bit off, resigned almost - like she had at Krispy Kreme when her old friends suddenly showed up and promptly ignored her. She also wasn’t really moving, just standing there staring at a locker - presumably her own - seemingly bracing herself to open it. As Trini got closer, she noticed why. Kimberly’s locker was covered top to bottom in insults - in marker, in paint, and even one spot where a particularly dedicated vandal actually  _carved_  the word ‘Bitch’ into the metal twice. Trini could feel the anger start to bubble up inside her, as well as an urge to both hug Kim and punch the assholes who did this right in their smug little faces. She settled for something in between.

 

***

The past couple of weeks had been hell for Kim. The new responsibility to save the world from a mad woman not actually ranking highest on her stress list somehow. The only thing that had been alleviating some of it had been the new, fledgling friendships she’d started with the other Rangers.

The best thing to come out of these last few weeks had by far been Trini - Trini who had initially run from her on sight, who later initiated a donut fight just to make her smile, who was so  _real_  compared to her old friends, who had been in her Biology class all along and Kim hadn’t even realized. Trini’s presence was truly the only thing that kept her coming to school every day - well, her and the fact that she really couldn’t afford to get into any more trouble with the school or her parents. But seriously, Trini was the only thing making it bearable to be here.

That first week after she’d sent that picture to Ty had been the worst week of her life. She lost her friends, her boyfriend, and her status in one fell swoop. It was her own fault, she knew that, but that didn’t lessen the sting. Still, she totally deserved it, which is why she wasn’t surprised to see her locker like this - mocking messages telling her to die, making fun of her hair, calling her a bitch. Nothing vulgar yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Kim knew who wrote everything. She’d been passing notes and working on homework with Amanda and Harper since the fifth grade, and they clearly weren’t putting much effort into remaining anonymous. Kimberly just stared at it for a while, probably too long to look normal, before steeling herself to open it. As soon as she did though, a hand shot forward to catch the door. She watched in shock as Trini appeared and literally tore the locker door from its hinges.

***

Before Trini even knew what happened, she was standing in front of Kim with a mangled, full-length locker door clutched tightly in her hand. She gestured to the empty hole that was once a functional storage unit.

“Take your stuff out,” Trini instructed with a confidence she didn’t truly possess.

Kim just looked at the locker and back to Trini, before responding with a quiet, dumbfounded, “What?”

“Take it.” Trini repeated with a nod towards Kim’s stuff. This time Kim listened, grabbing her jacket and bag with a whispered “okay” before following Trini down the hall.

“You don’t need a locker,” Trini assured her firmly, locker still in hand. As they passed an empty classroom, Trini chucked the now useless piece of scrap metal through the open door - best to get rid of the evidence, right? Only, she didn’t quite take into account the noise it would make, the sound of clattering metal echoing through the linoleum halls.

***

At the sound of shattering glass - the door must have hit a window or something - Kim gave Trini a look before they both started racing down the hall laughing, not stopping until they’d hit the parking lot. Satisfied that they were far enough away from the scene of the crime, the girls were able to pause to catch their breath.

“So much for not using our powers for personal gain, huh?” Kim joked as the adrenaline died down.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” Trini replied with a small smirk and an air of nonchalance.

Kim smiled back. “Want a ride to training?” Trini gave a nod and followed Kim to where she was parked.

They didn’t discuss the locker incident for the rest of that day. They didn’t really have the chance to between training that afternoon and Billy morphing for the first time, then the campfire, then Trini getting attacked and Billy dying and coming back to life, and them actually managing to save the world. But afterwards, after all the dust settled and school was back in session and Kimberly had gotten a new locker, she brought it up again.  

“Wasn’t a big deal,” Trini replied, voice steady but a small blush appearing on her cheeks. Kimberly tried to ask if they’d caught it on camera, if she’d gotten in trouble at all, but Trini was quick to change the subject.

Kimberly wasn’t too surprised though when the following Saturday Trini showed up in detention.


End file.
